Recently, attempts are being made in marine industry to utilize wind power to propel aquatic vessels. A conventional propulsion system for an aquatic vessel includes one or more submerged propellers for propelling the aquatic vessel, and may further include multiple Magnus rotors for supplementing the propellers. The Magnus rotors are operable rotate about corresponding substantially upright axes to produce a Magnus effect for propelling the aquatic vessel. The Magnus effect is defined as a thrust acting on a rotating body in a moving airstream, such as wind, wherein the thrust acts perpendicularly to a direction of the moving airstream.
Magnus rotors are conveniently rotated by employing associated motors disposed internally within the Magnus rotors. During operation, the motors generate heat, thus requiring ventilation and/or cooling to lower a temperature of the motors. However, implementations of known Magnus rotors locate associated motors in restricted spaces, resulting in the motors being insufficiently ventilated and/or cooled. Moreover, the implementations of known Magnus rotors are problematic for servicing personnel, when accessing associated motors or other internal components of the Magnus rotors during service or overhaul routines.
Assembly and installation of the known Magnus rotors onto a deck of an aquatic vessel is potentially tedious and cumbersome on account of specific constructional limitations of such aquatic vessels. Therefore, in view of aforesaid problems in relation to known Magnus rotor propelled aquatic vessels, there exists a need for a Magnus rotor propulsion system that is capable of being easily retro-fitted onto existing aquatic vessels while providing ease of access to service personnel to motors and/or other internal components of the Magnus rotor propulsion system. Furthermore, there also exists a need for a propulsion system that facilitates improved ventilation and/or cooling of components therein, in contradistinction to known propulsion systems.